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<h1><a href="https://archiveofourown.org/works/25913401">Honey, there is no right way</a> by <a class='authorlink' href='https://archiveofourown.org/users/Estelle/pseuds/Estelle'>Estelle</a></h1>

<table class="full">

<tr><td><b>Category:</b></td><td>Dragon Age - All Media Types, Dragon Age: Inquisition</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Genre:</b></td><td>Feelings Realization, First Kiss, Flirting, M/M</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Language:</b></td><td>English</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Status:</b></td><td>Completed</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Published:</b></td><td>2020-09-07</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Updated:</b></td><td>2020-09-07</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Packaged:</b></td><td>2021-05-05 02:49:41</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Rating:</b></td><td>General Audiences</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Warnings:</b></td><td>No Archive Warnings Apply</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Chapters:</b></td><td>1</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Words:</b></td><td>1,716</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Publisher:</b></td><td>archiveofourown.org</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Story URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/works/25913401</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Author URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/users/Estelle/pseuds/Estelle</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Summary:</b></td><td><div class="userstuff">
              <p>Dorian flirts with Solas as a joke. He certainly doesn't expect him to flirt back.</p>
            </div></td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Relationships:</b></td><td>Dorian Pavus/Solas</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Comments:</b></td><td>14</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Kudos:</b></td><td>84</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Collections:</b></td><td>Black Emporium 2020</td></tr>

</table>

<a name="section0001"><h2>Honey, there is no right way</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Author's Note:</b><ul class="associations">
      <li>For <a href="https://archiveofourown.org/users/blarfkey/gifts">blarfkey</a>.</li>



    </ul><blockquote class="userstuff">
      <p>I loved your prompts! While I admit that flirting isn't my speciality, I had lots of fun with this, and I hope you'll like it!</p>
    </blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>It’s not like Dorian has planned this when he descends the stairs and wanders into Solas’ parlour. He really hasn’t.<br/>
But when he sees the elf hunched over his desk, his butt sticking out <i>like that</i>, he just can’t help himself. Dorian is a natural flirt, and Solas is always so serious and proper, he just has to tease him.<br/>
“If I had known that you possessed such an attractive backside, I would have made it my mission to walk behind you more often.”<br/>
He doesn’t really expect a response, or maybe an offended huff and a firm rejection at most, but Solas actually turns around, a small smile playing at the corner of his lips.<br/>
“Thank you. Why do you think I walk behind <i>you</i> so often?”<br/>
His tone is light, Dorian would have said almost flirty if that wasn’t so impossible, and he blinks, completely surprised.<br/>
Then he starts to grin, positively delighted with this turn of events.<br/>
“Why Solas, I had no idea you were looking! I will have to make sure to grant you the pleasure of my company more often then.”<br/>
He knows he’s being over the top, but then again, he never does things halfway, and judging by the smirk still on Solas’ face, he actually, unexpectedly doesn’t seem to mind.<br/>
“You do that”, he agrees, and turns back to his papers.<br/>
Dorian knows a dismissal when he sees one, but he can’t even be annoyed about it, because this has proven to be a lot more fun that he would have ever anticipated, and he plans on enjoying every second of it.</p><p>A few days later, he leans over the bannister to find out if he can continue what he started, and finds Solas going through some kind of exercise routine, all flowing motions and long stretches, and Maker, is he <i>flexible</i>.<br/>
He stops himself from calling out just yet, not exactly because he’s considerate like that, but he’s sure that if he interrupts, Solas will actually set his butt on fire, no matter how much he claims to like looking at it.<br/>
Besides, it’s not like it’s a hardship to just watch.<br/>
When Solas finishes, Dorian claps, and when Solas looks up with raised eyebrows, Dorian grins down at him.<br/>
“Thanks for the show!”<br/>
Solas considers him for a moment, then he shrugs. “You are welcome to join next time.”</p><p>And so it goes from there. Dorian takes every opportunity to flirt, some more ridiculous than others, testing what he can get away with, and to his surprise and delight, Solas always has a comeback, sometimes flirty, sometimes downright snarky, but always witty, and Dorian finds himself immensely liking it.<br/>
He also finds himself, even more unexpectedly, actually liking Solas himself.<br/>
When they are out and about with the Inquisitor, or Dorian stops by for tea at Solas’s parlour, the flirting turns to talking, and Dorian has to admit that Solas is smart, he would almost say that his intelligence rivals his own, but his perspective on magic is so different from his that it always makes for interesting discussions.</p><p>One day, and there isn’t even anything special about it, they are just discussing some practical applications of Vandal Aria, Dorian compliments Solas on a particularly interesting recipe, and then stops dead in his tracks, because he has actually <i>meant every word</i>.<br/>
He isn’t flirting just for the sake of it anymore, he actually means this.<br/>
This realisation unsettles him so deeply that he instantly flees from the conversation, making up a flimsy excuse that he can’t even remember and Solas certainly doesn’t believe.<br/>
He very maturely hides in his room, slamming the door shut and leaning against it, taking a deep breath.<br/>
Fine, so he <i>likes</i> Solas, that’s not the end of the world. It’s not like he would ever act upon it, or that Solas would ever return his feelings, and Maker, did he really just call it <i>feelings</i>?<br/>
He sighs, and takes a moment to examine their last interactions, the outrageous stupid flirting that makes Solas’ eyes crinkle at the corners, his witty replies from his smart mouth, his earnest way to discuss the murals in his parlour, his unique perspective on magic, and yes okay, maybe he has fallen even deeper than he thought.<br/>
Without noticing, Solas has grown on him, and Dorian doesn’t know what to do.<br/>
He likes what they have, and he doesn’t want to risk ruining it, just because he is an idiot who had to turn some harmless fun into something serious.<br/>
Surely, he can just pretend that nothing changed? That he didn’t go and catch stupid, irrelevant, useless feelings?<br/>
Nodding to himself, and feeling slightly better, he resolves that that is indeed the way forward.</p><p>When he us called upon by the Inquisitor on a mission to the Emerald Graves, he is actually relieved because he feels like some time away will strengthen his resolve to act like nothing has changed and he will be able to treat Solas just like before he had his embarrassing revelation.</p><p>Of course, that works spectacularly until the next time he sees Solas.<br/>
He has just come back from the mission, and tired as he is, he completely forgets that he will pass through Solas’ parlour on the way to the library, and so he is entirely unprepared when he sees him.<br/>
He is sure his heart skips a beat and isn’t that just the biggest cliché?<br/>
Annoyed with himself, he shakes his head and tries to hurry for the stairs, but of course Solas has to turn around.<br/>
“Dorian! You are back! The mission went well, I hope?” His small smile is genuine, and Dorian can’t help but stare for a moment, silently begging himself to get it together.<br/>
“It did. If you’ll excuse me, I’m rather tired.” He sounds more brusque than he wants to, and when he makes for the stairs, he still catches the frown forming on Solas’ face.<br/>
For the next days, he tries to avoid Solas as much as he can, and notices how much time they have come to spend together, and how much he <i>misses</i> that now.<br/>
He knows he’s being unfair, and he tells himself that it’s only until he gets a handle on his feelings, but every time he so much as sees Solas, his stupid heart starts beating faster, and that one time he actually blushes when Solas says good morning to him, and he knows it’s all completely ridiculous, but he doesn’t know how to stop.</p><p>A few days later, just when he has managed to bury himself in a book enough to actually stop thinking about Solas for the moment, he of course stops by.<br/>
“I wanted to see how you are”, he states, and Dorian barely looks up.<br/>
“Fine. Busy.”<br/>
“I see. Would you like to take a break?” Solas’ voice sounds carefully neutral, and Dorian sighs.<br/>
“No, thank you.”<br/>
He expects Solas to leave at that, but of course that would be too easy.<br/>
“You have been... distant since you came back from the Emerald Graves. Did something happen there?”<br/>
Solas’ concern would have been touching, if it hadn’t made Dorian like him even more, which is the last thing he currently wants.<br/>
“I said I’m fine!”, he snaps, rather more forceful than necessary.<br/>
Solas’ eyebrows draw together, then he nods.<br/>
“I see. I had thought that perhaps we had become something like friends, but it seems I was mistaken. I will leave you to it.”<br/>
With that, he turns to leave, and Dorian sighs.<br/>
“No, wait, that wasn’t…Vishante Kaffas!”<br/>
But Solas doesn’t stop, and Dorian falls back into his chair.<br/>
This definitely isn’t how he wanted this to go. He supposes he has two options now. He can leave it at that, let Solas believe that he doesn’t like him, or at least doesn’t like him enough to tell him what is bothering him, or he goes to talk to him, no matter how much he dreads that.<br/>
And doesn’t he owe him that much? Not only is it entirely unfair to Solas to let him think he has done something wrong, Dorian also really doesn’t want to lose his friendship.<br/>
So that’s his answer right there, isn’t it?<br/>
With another sigh, he gets up and heads downstairs, where he finds Solas at his desk, sipping tea, the perfect picture of casualness.<br/>
He merely raises his eyebrows at Dorian’s arrival, and he sighs.<br/>
“You are going to make me say it, aren’t you? Fine. I am sorry. It was unfair of me to snap at you, and I certainly didn’t mean to imply that we aren’t friends.”<br/>
Dorian has never been particularly good at apologising for himself, but the tiny smile that lifted the corners of Solas’ lips makes it worth it.<br/>
“Thank you. That is good to hear.” He takes a sip of tea. “Now, are you sure you’re alright?”<br/>
“You’re not going to let this go, are you?” Slightly frustrated, Dorian runs a hand through his hair, then he makes a decision.<br/>
“I only started flirting with you as a joke, okay? I didn’t mean to end up <i>liking</i> you!”<br/>
Solas raises his eyebrows, the he actually chuckles. “And how is that a problem?”<br/>
When Dorian just stares at him, not sure how to even begin answering that, he continues.<br/>
“To be fair, in the beginning I only flirted back because I thought it would be the easiest way to get you off my back.”<br/>
Dorian nods, his heart feeling heavy, then something catches up with him.<br/>
“Wait, <i>in the beginning</i>?”<br/>
Solas shrugs. “Our relationship has evolved passed that now, has it not?”<br/>
“Well, yes, but...” Surely Solas can’t mean the same thing he does? He doesn’t actually have developed feelings too, does he?<br/>
Dorian is still trying to convince himself that Solas just means <i>friendship</i>, when he stands up and easily closes the distance between them, smiling up at him.<br/>
“If you don’t object, I am going to kiss you now.”<br/>
Butterflies in his stomach, Dorian just manages to nod, and when Solas does kiss him, it tastes like the awful tea he insists on drinking, but still feels like the best thing that has happened to Dorian in a long time.</p>
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